


You Come to Me, Give Me Everything I Need

by mcgarrygirl78



Series: Doctor Doctor [7]
Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Alternate Universe, Drama, F/M, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-06
Updated: 2014-10-06
Packaged: 2018-02-20 05:07:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2416052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She wanted him to know that he could always talk to her, even about the things she had difficulty taking in.</p>
            </blockquote>





	You Come to Me, Give Me Everything I Need

“Something heavy is on your mind. I hope you know can talk to me.”

Elizabeth leaned her chin on his shoulder as Tom stood looking outside the window. It was nearly 1am and she woke to find herself alone in bed. Tom wasn’t usually an after midnight contemplator; he loved his sleep. She was trying not to be concerned but Elizabeth noticed he’d been off for a few days now. Her first thought was he was about to end their relationship. Then she took a step back.

Everything was not about her, which meant maybe something else completely was on Tom’s mind. She wasn’t sure how to approach it. One thing she never felt since they started seeing each other last September was that Tom was keeping anything from her. He’d passed every crazy test she threw at him. Now it seemed like he needed her to be there, to be strong. Elizabeth sighed, rubbing his bare arms.

“I haven’t quite found the words yet.” Tom replied.

“I have to say that surprises me. You always have the words.”

“I do, don’t I? That can be daunting sometimes; always knowing just what to say.”

“You're allowed to be confused.” Elizabeth kissed the nape of his neck. “No one is on point all the time. If you don’t want to talk right now, I understand that too.” She didn’t quite but would try to. This wasn’t about her...she repeated that in her head. If Tom felt compelled to put the focus on her to calm her paranoia, he wouldn’t deal with what was going on. He’d been so helpful all these months; Elizabeth wanted to return the favor. No, she didn’t want to do it because of that. She wanted to do it because she loved him.

“Lids…” Tom turned, reaching for her as she walked back toward the bed. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t do that, love.” She caressed his face. “It’s alright. I'm worried about you but I'm not going to push. Take your time and when you're ready, come back to bed. I’ll hold you while you sleep.”

“Do you know how amazing you are?” Tom asked, managing a smile despite how he felt. He held her hand to his lips and kissed it.

“I would make you count the ways, Doctor, but you have better things to do at the moment.”

“Not better, just different. There aren’t too many things better than counting the ways of your awesomeness.”

“Stop,” Elizabeth kissed him softly. “I’ll leave you to your thoughts.”

“Don’t leave me.” He was still holding her hand and didn’t want to let go. It was hard to form the words but she’d stopped moving so maybe he didn’t need them. “I just want to hold on for a few minutes.”

“I'm here.” Elizabeth sighed as Tom pulled her into his arms. It always felt so good when she was this close to him. Tonight she could feel the worry on him though, and that worried her. Being close was good though. Words might not help right now but perhaps her arms would.

“It’s Danielle.” He whispered.

“Who?”

“It’s about Danielle; my ex-wife.”

Elizabeth wasn’t sure she ever heard her name before. She’d seen her picture, and that was bad enough. She was a beautiful blonde woman, four years younger than Tom so a hell of a lot younger than Elizabeth. She looked like she could’ve been a model for one of those health and fitness magazines.

She was probably even more beautiful when the two met in medical school at Boston University. Elizabeth honestly didn’t know much about the woman or the marriage. That might change tonight and she didn’t know if she was ready. Tom had been divorced for eight years…why was he thinking about Danielle tonight.

“What's going on, Tom?” She led him over to the bed and they sat down. Elizabeth held his hand in her lap, squeezed it. She wanted him to know that he could always talk to her, even about the things she had difficulty taking in. This was likely to be difficult.

“Danielle called me last week and she was really excited. I was surprised to hear from her; we don’t talk much except in reference to Jeffrey. Her tone didn’t convey anything was wrong so I wondered what was going on. She told me that she got her dream job.”

“I have a feeling congratulations are not in order.”

“I've never wished anything but the best for Dani. She’s worked really hard at what she does; she's an oncologist. I know how much sacrifice it takes to be one of the best. The problem is that her dream job is some distance away.”

“Where is she going, Tom?” Elizabeth asked.

“She got an offer from Johns Hopkins Medical Center. Its number four in the nation for cancer work and research. That’s a very big deal. For years she’s tried to get in at Memorial Sloan-Kettering but it never worked out for her. Still, this is huge because New York-Presbyterian is number 24 in the nation.”

“That’s quite a leap.”

“Yeah.” Tom nodded. “She’ll be moving to Baltimore in August, well she actually found a nice house in Towson, Maryland.”

“I know this sounds silly, and I'm listening darling, I really am, but how can she move? What's going to happen to Jeffrey?”

“That’s where I'm at.”

“What does that mean?” Elizabeth asked.

Danielle was taking her dream job; it was all she ever wanted. She hadn't called to ask Tom’s permission. The question was what would come of their son. He had grown to love New York but would have to move away.

His parents had joint custody though Danielle assumed primary custody when she and Tom divorced. If Jeffrey wanted to stay with his father in Manchester, his mother wasn’t going to prevent that. It was five hours away from New York City but Baltimore was only three. He could still spend some weekends with his friends and would be able to maintain connections he’d made since moving to Manhattan at six years old.

“Dani is giving Jeff the choice. He can move to Towson with her or come to Manchester and live with me.”

“He could come to live with you?”

Elizabeth didn’t know what to think. Tom would suddenly become a full time father and a full time doctor. Where did that leave her? Those were selfish thoughts but Elizabeth couldn’t help thinking them. She cared about him; she loved him, and didn’t want to lose him.

She also had a feeling that Jeffrey didn’t like her. She could admit that she wasn’t easy to get to know. She tried with him. Elizabeth wasn’t the chummy, motherly type but she always gave Jeffrey her attention and her time when he was around.

It wasn’t easy for her…teenagers were like aliens. Teenage boys were even more so. But she loved Tom and he was Tom’s son. She would never stop trying. His living there wouldn’t bode well for Elizabeth’s relationship with Tom if they couldn’t find a way to be friends.

She could not, would not, hate a fourteen year old boy. Elizabeth pushed down the bile that he was going to ruin everything for her. Jeffrey was a great kid. He was smart, funny, well- rounded, and a very talented guitar player. She could see pieces of Tom in him and that always made her smile. Maybe in the right amount of time she could love him. It happened rather quickly and wholly with his father.

“Jeffrey’s about to start high school.” Tom said. “This is a decision that he has to make for himself. I talked to him about it and he said he had a lot of thinking to do. Both his mother and I have plenty to offer him, but we’re also both very busy parents. Jeff would be alone a lot.”

“Well Danielle’s had him for 14 years.” Elizabeth reasoned. “It would be wonderful for father and son to spend some time together. This is probably the time in his life where that relationship will be the most beneficial to you both.”

Yes, diplomacy. If Elizabeth Prentiss was good at anything it was diplomacy. She leaned her head on Tom’s shoulder again; he kissed her forehead.

“You're amazing.” He whispered. “I sometimes fear I don’t deserve you.”

“This isn’t about me, Tom.”

“I know but…it'll affect you. You're part of my life, Elizabeth. You're a big part of my life and that’s not changing anytime soon. If Jeff moves in with me, it will affect us as a couple. That doesn’t have to mean negatively but it still will.”

Elizabeth took a moment to let his words sink in. It took all she had not to jump up and dance. She was grateful for the Webber willpower, which she inherited in abundance.

“I wouldn’t love you as much as I do if you didn’t love that boy. I would never ask you to give him up. Baltimore is 400 miles away. Parents shouldn’t be that far apart from their children.”

“Its 443 miles away as a matter of fact. I love Jeffrey, so much. I have since the moment he came into the world. I wish for more time with him but I won't let my selfishness stop him in his tracks. He’ll make the right decision for him and I’ll have to respect it.”

“So what's keeping you up tonight?” She asked, running her fingers through his salt and pepper hair.

“I don’t want to lose my son. I'm petrified of that.”

“That’s not going to happen. You two love each other. No matter how far away, just hold onto him.”

Tom nodded, but he wasn’t sure how to feel. High school was a crazy time and Jeffrey deserved to enjoy every moment of it. His schedule would be intense and Tom’s always was. He made time for Elizabeth, wanted to, but her proximity helped.

He didn’t know how often he would be able to get to Baltimore. Getting to New York was hard enough but Tom was always there for important milestones in Jeffrey’s life. This summer he would come to stay in Manchester for six weeks. It might be a long time before they spent time like that together again.

He didn’t want to think about it because it hurt too much. Tom always worried he wasn’t there enough for his son. He knew he wasn’t half the father his own had been. Now if Jeffrey decided to move to Maryland with his mother wasn’t that as good as his son telling him that.

“I have rounds at 9:30 in the morning.” Tom said. “I need to get some sleep.”

“I wish I could tell you not to worry, but…”

“It’s alright, love.” He kissed her, pressing his forehead on hers. “We’ll sleep and maybe in the morning I’ll see things clearly.”

“How long has this been weighing on you?” Elizabeth asked.

“A week, but I’ll tell you this, I feel much better now that I've opened up to you. You're my saving grace, Elizabeth Prentiss.”

His words made Elizabeth feel good. She hugged him, not sure she wanted to let go. They got into bed together; Tom held Elizabeth in his arms. She wanted to hold him but could tell he needed to be strong. She wasn’t sure if he wanted to be strong for her or something else entirely. Now was not the time to think about it. His reasons were his own.

“One day we need to swap stories.” Tom said, holding her tighter against him. “We’ll do it over ice cream, pastries, or something else fattening.”

“You're offering me fattening food?” Elizabeth asked. “I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.”

“I want to know about Gregory, and I'm sure you want to know about Dani.”

She did but she didn’t. This story swap was a necessary evil; all new couples who’d been through a divorce did it. Elizabeth was surprised they made it seven months without a mention. Tom might have to let her have coffee that day as well; it was sure to be a doozy.

The last thing she needed on constant loop in her head was the love story of Tom and Dani. She even hated that he called her Dani…it was so personal. They weren't together anymore, Danielle was fine. Tom called her Lids; you gave someone a cute nickname when you adored them. Her ex-husband was Gregory in her mind and out of her mouth, all the time.

“I don’t want to know a single thing about her while still needing to know everything.” Elizabeth replied. She spoke barely above a whisper.

“I think this is another shining example of your need to be honest with me.” Tom replied, kissing her. “I like it.”

“Can I just ask you a favor?”

“Anything, love.”

“Please call her Danielle. It’ll make me feel a little better. Using her nickname sounds so…”

“Intimate?”

“Exactly.” Elizabeth let go of a sigh of relief. He just understood her. She didn’t know how that was but he did. She liked to think that she understood him too. “I wasn’t sure how to say it but it makes me uncomfortable.”

“Understood.” Tom gave her another kiss, this one more passionate than the last. He wanted to take her, reassure her, and make her cry out his name, but honestly it was late and his energy level was less than zero. Holding her close and inhaling the scent of her skin on his would have to be enough for tonight. Tom knew she wouldn’t demand more. If he slept well, surely he would have the strength in the morning. If he didn’t then he would fake it. She was incredibly difficult to resist. “I love you, Elizabeth.”

She kissed his heartbeat and settled in for sleep. They both needed it; the week would most likely be long and could be heartbreaking. Elizabeth would hold onto Tom, he would hold onto Jeffrey, and all three of them would make it work. Compromise wasn’t her favorite word but she wasn’t afraid to use it or do it. Not when it meant that she and Tom could be happy.

He felt her body relax on his and Tom knew she was falling asleep. It wasn’t going to be that easy for him. Something else had just gotten serious…he had enough serious things in his life. The worse part was there was nothing he could do about this really. Jeffrey had to make the choice and his father and mother had to live with the consequences.

Tom hated divorce. To be sure, he wasn’t nostalgic for his marriage to Dani. He just wished he didn’t have to put his son, himself, or his ex through this kind of emotional turmoil. He had always blamed himself for the divorce; his drive and ambition tearing his family apart. Right now he needed guidance, reason.

Tom would call his father in the morning…the elder Barton always knew what to say when his son felt off-kilter. He couldn’t imagine growing up without him there for all the bumps and bruises. He wouldn’t be the man he was today without that extra push. His father never asked for anything in return and that’s why Tom loved him so much. With his father and Elizabeth on his side, maybe he would make it to the other side of this rough sea.

***

  



End file.
